Goddamn... this is very ambiguous...

on the one hand: GREAT !
on the other: who in hell are they to enforce private companies to broadcast in one particular standard?

Imagine: five years from now, a chinese corporation endorses the US republican party for one billion dollar. But in return they secretly demand that broadcast standards should be 640*800 instead of 720*1080 (= HD)

no no no... they are only mandating digital signals, not necessarily HD signals. 4:3 at 480p is not HD but is an over the air digital braodcast standard. get yer facts straight

DSR is mandated but since HDTV costs less then DSR, most ppl will develop shows in HDTV

Sorry folks but I don't trust the government when it comes to anything. The government website begs the question why? but does not explicitly state "why". What it tells us is that the benefits of this will be that the old analog bands will be divided and given to emergency services, police, fire, medical et al and the rest to be sold to corporations for the development of yet even greater technologies. I have a few questions. Why are they giving the inferior bands to emergency services? Isn't it in the publics interest to give these "superior" digital bands to these services? Or is the public getting the inferior stuff? Why couldn't they divide the higher bands for these services? They say that right now the major networks who broadcast airwave signals were alotted a digital band in addition to their standard analog band in preperation for the change. How many air broadcast networks are there? I'm here in New York and there aren't many, couldn't they keep broadcasting in analog for the people who can't afford to buy new equipment who can't afford much of anything besides? I mean we're talking about a literal handful of stations here, what's the big deal? They are all doing it now anyway? Eventually those peoples TV's will croak anyway and with no parts to produce or new analog sets to buy what are they worried about? The bands to be sold, will they be auctioned or are they slated for definite destinations? The website doesn't say, all it says is how great it is and how everyone will be so happy and pleased. In any case, I suspect they are up to no good somehow. I'm sure some are saying "nah, its all good". If that's the case I have a bridge I wan't to sell to those people. Considering the long history of this government and others skulking and sneaking behind the publics back, putting forth agendas with little or no disclosure, I might not want to get too excited about it all. I find it hard to believe that nothing will be used for agencies that will use the newly aquired bandwith for surveillance or information gathering of not just the "bad" guys but anyone they would like a closer look at. If you say that the government is not inclined to use technology to enhance social control is a fool. I don't like it, it makes me uneasy.